About This Site
This is the course site! I will be sharing all slides, content, notes, assignments and readings here. If the lecture for that day has slides, you’ll find them here. Each day has its own page.
There are two buttons in the menu for links to the assignments and readings pages. If there is an assignment, all details pertaining to it (what needs to be done, when is it due, any FAQs) will be added there. Same goes for readings.
Since we’re in for a long haul, I have designed a system to help you keep track of your submissions and readings; once done you can click on “Mark as Completed” for assignments and “Mark as Read” and track your progress. This does not actually submit or register anything with me, it is a to-do list for you and you only. It just keeps track of things in your browser.
How deadlines work
Assignments are due at the start of the next class, not at midnight (please sleep on time). Please stick to this as a rule. If I specify that it will be due on Day 3 (say, 22nd July), then it is expected that by the morning of that day you are done.
Before you come in
This is a web-design + dev class so, you guessed it, you’ll be needing your laptops every single day! No laptop, no scene. But apart from that here are some things you either need to download and keep ready or platforms you need to sign up for. If possible, have this done by Day 1 afternoon.
Software
- VSCode: Download it from here. This will be our integrated development environment (IDE) of choice, it is where we will write our code.
- GitHub Desktop: Download it from here. This is a friendly app for saving versions of your work, think of it as a “save game” button for your projects. We’ll start using it on Day 2.
- Obsidian: Download it from here. It is a markdown editor (we will learn what that is), but you can think of it as a Notion that runs completely on your laptop and you fully own.
If you’re done with everything and still feeling a little adventurous, you can optionally install Git (the command-line version) using this guide. You don’t have to do this before class, we’ll do it together on Day 6.
Platforms
- GitHub: This is how we will be submitting our exercises and putting our projects live on the web. Please sign up and create an account. Choose your username with a little care because it’ll be part of your project URLs for the next three weeks.
- Netlify: This is what takes our code and puts it on a URL anyone, anywhere can access. For free! Create an account here please (sign up with your GitHub account, it makes everything smoother later).
- Figma: Designs, presentations, mockups, wireframes and more. Sign up if you haven’t already! We’ll have a guest lecture on Figma in Week 2.
Non-essential, but if you’ve signed up for a GitHub account, you’re eligible for a ton of free goodies because you’re a student. Applying for the student developer pack gives you access to a lot of stuff, including a free domain name for one year, Notion Pro and a bunch of other things. It’s good stuff, get some! Ask me if you need help.